The basic purpose of the invention is to provide a training device for interactively guiding a tennis racquet by means of exercising a towing force on a cord, which is connected with the tennis racquet, in the sequence corresponding to some certain points and phases of the swing during the execution of the strokes. In particular, for the serve, fore-, and backhand smash, fore-, and backhand slice, and volley strokes.
This is achieved according to the invention with a training device, which includes a vertically adjustable support that is telescopically connected with a vertical guide pole that is fixed on the wall. On the upper part of the support is arranged a frame for supporting a shaft of a swivel-arm that is constructed such that the swivel-arm is slanted upward.
On the proximal end of the swivel-arm, a weight-balance is fixed that turns the swivel-arm into the upper position in which the swivel-arm is automatically arrested by means of an arresting mechanism fixed on the frame. On the distal end of the swivel-arm is fixed a ring, which includes a suspension arrangement to hang a ball.
On the support and the swivel-arm are arranged some pulleys and devices to exercise the towing force on the cord, which is connected with the tennis racquet through a stirrup. The mechanisms for exercising the towing force on the cord are adjustable to define the parameters such as direction, quantity, and timing of the towing force according to the kind of stroke, the body height of the player and the player""s skill level.
The motto of the present training device is xe2x80x9cPractice slowly, learn quickerxe2x80x9d. That means: the player is not under pressure to respond quickly and can thereby feel and sense the whole movement involved.
The ball being placed in the ideal hitting zone gives even a beginner the possibility of hitting the ball in the very first practice. The player is able to watch in slow motion the way in which the racquet face comes to the ball. In particular, it is very important to watch the difference between the flat-, slice- and topspin serve swing at the meeting point.
The prescribed position of the hanging ball is defined by means of a stepping plate with marked footprints placed at certain distances from the hanging ball or from the ring. During serve training, the ring allows the player to visualize the ideal tossing zone, and both the direction and the height of the toss for the different kinds of serves, i.e., flat-, slice-, and topspin serves.
During training of the fore- and backhand slice and volley, the marked footprints give the player the possibility of training or learning the footwork in the sequence corresponding to the swing.
The cord, by being connected with the tennis racquet distinguishes the present training device, in particular by the interactive guiding of the tennis racquet during the swing.
The other portion of the cord runs through some pulleys and a moveable releasing device to an anchor point on the support. The towing force on the cord is exercised by means of an elastic rope that is fixed in the moveable releasing device. In addition, a trigger is mounted on the support to fix and release a bead that is pressed on the cord at a certain distance from the anchor point.
At the waiting stance for serve training, the bead is fixed in the trigger and the portion of the cord between the anchor point and the bead is strained by means of the elastic rope, the proximal end of the swivel-arm is free from the arresting mechanism to let it turn and thereby let a player pull the racquet down.
From the waiting stance to the end of the back swing (the upper, at-rest position of the swivel-arm), the weight-balance on the proximal end of the swivel arm exercises a relatively weak force on the cord to let same guide the tennis racquet in the correct way to the end of the back swing at which the proximal end of the swivel-arm is arrested.
Thus, the tennis player is forced to go through the prescribed position on the end of the back swing because the defined length of the cord does not allow dropping the right elbow lower than shoulder height and tilting the racquet shaft to the wall.
At the end of the back swing, there is no hindrance from the cord so as to allow the player to execute the next phase of the swing (i.e. a loop) in the correct direction back, downward. The construction of the stirrup does not allow the racquet and arm to go in the wrong direction, but rather allows the arm to drop the head of the racquet in the correct way, that is, to the small of the back.
At the lowest point of the loop, after a short plucking of the cord which releases the trigger, the towing force will be activated overall on the cord and a player will be interactively led to the next prescribed position of the swing, which includes the full stretching of the arm and body.
At the full stretching of the arm and body (the point is adjustable), the moveable releasing device enters into a releasing port that is adjustably mounted on the lower part of the support, and through this interaction the cord will be set free from the releasing device so as to allow the player to hit the hanging ball and follow-through without hindrance from the cord.
All points and phases of the swing are adjustable by means of shifting both the trigger and the releasing port.